The Fat of the Land eBook

You may say that few persons have the time, inclination,
taste, or money to carry out such an experiment; that
the average farmer must make each year pay, and that
the exploiting of this matter is therefore of interest
to a very limited number. Admitting much of this,
I still claim that there is a lesson to every struggling
farmer in this narrative. It should teach the
value of brain work on the farm, and the importance
of intelligent cultivation; also the advantages of
good seed, good tilth, good specimens of well-bred
stock, good food, and good care. Feed the land
liberally, and it will return you much. Permit
no waste in space, product, time, tools, or strength.
Do in a small way, if need be, what I have done on
a large scale, and you will quickly commence to get
good dividends. I have spent much more money
than was really necessary on the place, and in the
ornamentation of Four Oaks. This, however, was
part of the experiment. I asked the land not only
to supply immediate necessities, but to minister to
my every want, to gratify the eye, and please the
senses by a harmonious fusion of utility and beauty.
I wanted a fine country home and a profitable investment
within the same ring fence.

Will you follow me through the search for the land,
the purchase, and the tremendous house-cleaning of
the first year? After that we will take up the
years as they come, finding something of special interest
attaching naturally to each. I shall have to deal
much with figures and statistics, in a small way,
and my pages may look like a school book, but I cannot
avoid this, for in these figures and statistics lies
the practical lesson. Theory alone is of no value.
Practical application of the theory is the test.
I am not imaginative. I could not write a romance
if I tried. My strength lies in special detail,
and I am willing to spend a lot of time in working
out a problem. I do not claim to have spent this
time and money without making serious mistakes; I have
made many, and I am willing to admit them, as you
will see in the following pages. I do claim,
however, that, in spite of mistakes, I have solved
the problem, and have proved that an intelligent farmer
can live in luxury on the fat of the land.

CHAPTER II

THE HUNTING OF THE LAND

The location of the farm for this experiment was of
the utmost importance. The land must be within
reasonable distance of the city and near a railroad,
consequently within easy touch of the market; and if
possible it must be near a thriving village, to insure
good train service. As to size, I was somewhat
uncertain; my minimum limit was 150 acres and 400
the maximum. The land must be fertile, or capable
of being made so.